Posts Tagged: infrastructure

Podcast

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Jay Lund

Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis.

The Capitol Weekly Podcast crew crosses the Yolo Causeway to sit down with UC Davis Professor Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences. One of the most respected voices in California water, Lund chats about the evolution of the Central Valley’s water storage and delivery systems. He also takes note of our water infrastructure — including what to watch for as storms and snowmelt pummel the the state.

Opinion

Infrastructure: Brown and Trump agree

The Tower Bridge in Sacramanto west of the state Capitol. (Photo: Tupungato, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: “Amen to that, brother,” Governor Jerry Brown exhorted in his state of the state speech in support of President Donald Trump’s call for spending $1 trillion on infrastructure improvements. It was the only sense of cooperation the governor offered to the new president and some of his expected policies.

News

Ballot measures in the crosshairs

Participants in a panel discussion of Proposition 62 and 66. Attorney Nancy Haydt, right; Michele Hanisee of the L.A. County Deputy District Attorneys Association, center; and Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County district attorney. (Photo: Scott Duncan/Capitol Weekly)

It was a wonkish wonderland. Capital Public Radio and Capitol Weekly combined forces Thursday to stage the first “California Votes” series of panel discussions on six of the most controversial ballot measures voters will face on November 8.

News

Campaign cash: A journey through the Cal-Access labyrinth

Photo illustration, political cash on the move: IQoncept, via Shutterstock

When California introduced its Cal-Access campaign finance website, “There was nothing like it in the country,” said Rob Lapsley, who was under-Secretary of State in 2000, the year the campaign disclosure tool made its debut. Fast forward 15 years: What was once cutting edge is now obsolete. “The current system is broken, literally.”

Opinion

Repairing California’s bumpy roads

Downtown Los Angeles, as traffic zips along. (Photo: Sean Pavone)

Six months after Gov. Jerry Brown called for a special session of the Legislature to fix the state’s crumbling roads, the potholes are just as deep, the motorists are just as irritated and the multibillion-dollar price tag is just as high. The goal is to offer a package to improve the worst of the state’s 50,000 miles of state-run roads and 13,000 bridges, and provide new capacity in freight-clogged zones and provide a regular source of funding over time.

Opinion

Crumbling infrastructure is costly, dangerous

California motorists in a traffic jam. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Our transportation infrastructure is literally falling apart due to poor maintenance. Recently, because of deferred maintenance, a guard rail on an East Bay overpass fell onto I-880. The several tons of falling metal didn’t just hold up traffic, it also damaged cars and injured drivers. Our crumbling roads are more than just a nuisance. They’re dangerous.

Opinion

Tax debate must get beyond politics

The California state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: Shutterstock)

OPINION: With more than a dozen major tax measures moving through the Legislature or toward the November 2016 ballot, California’s perennial debate about taxes is set to begin anew — with millions of dollars in political campaigns preparing to shape how the state will raise billions of dollars in revenue, and provide public services, for years to come.

News

Special session: Fixing the potholes

Downtown Los Angeles, as traffic zips along. (Photo: Sean Pavone)

Gov. Brown’s call for a special legislative session to fix California’s crumbling roads, highways and bridges comes as music to the ears of those who build big projects. For months, groups representing labor, contractors, local governments, transportation interests and others worked on legislation to revamp the state’s roads and ease the movement of freight at the state’s ports. That legislation may serve as the centerpiece of the special session.

Opinion

Needed: Fewer roadblocks for electric vehicles

Electric BMWs charging at a Google complex. (Photo: Roman Boed)

OPINION: There are over 220,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on America’s roads today – more than double this time last year – and about a third of those are in California. EVs are exploding in popularity; they’re cheaper to drive and fuel, better for the environment and are a more thrilling drive.

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